"The cupboard is bare, and there's not a penny to be cut"

moving day — off to the cruel streets of Greenwich to live in cardboard boxes and subsist on gruel.

U.S. Rep. Jim Himes says Medicaid cuts could force closure of Greenwich's Nathaniel Witherell

“GREENWICH — A Republican proposal on Capitol Hill could spell financial ruin for the Nathaniel Witherell, Greenwich's town-run skilled nursing facility, as well as creating other problems in the healthcare system, according to U.S. Rep. Jim Himes.

"I think well more than half of their revenue comes from Medicaid," Himes said on Tuesday. "At a time when the Republicans in the House are saying, 'We're going to cut $880 billion over 10 years, so about $88 billion a year, from Medicaid.' That could end up closing, if it goes through that way, closing Nathaniel Witherell."

What proposal is Himes using to terrify old people and their children? This:

The resolution directs the House Committee On Energy and Commerce, which oversees Medicare and Medicaid, to cut $880 billion from its section of the budget over 10 years, which totals $25 trillion. The biggest chunk of that 10-year budget is Medicare, followed by Medicaid, so cutting $880 billion will include cutting Medicaid in some fashion, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

Peter Kelly, chair of the board of the Nathaniel Witherell, said cutting Medicaid has been a topic of discussion for about 20 years now and doing so would be a problem for most healthcare facilities.

"It's certainly something that I'm concerned about, the board's concerned about," he said. "I don't think it's something that any health care provider  —  whether it's acute care or long-term care as is the case of Witherell  —  any cuts to Medicaid can be, depending on the size of them, can be devastating."

Himes, bless his heart, has long been a supporter of Medicaid reform. Here he is, all the way back in 2011, calling for the government to get ready to take action, by golly:

[W]e must be "prepared to equitably reform these programs to address the challenging problem of rising health care costs and ensure that these important safety net programs are here to help this generation and the next.

Jimbo’s been “prepared” for 16 years now, and he doubtless still is; just don’t threaten to cut a single penny of that $25 trillion, or he and his partners in crime will hit the airwaves and small town hustings decrying the heartlessness and cruelty of it all.

Mr. Shuck and Jive.